The 2014 MotoGP™ World Championship is underway
and without doubt this year will bring more great excitement.
Expectations remain high for all three classes. We shall
have the opportunity to watch a wonderful sporting show
from our best riders at every Grand Prix, as has been the
case so many times in the history of this Championship, and
particularly last year. In the MotoGP™ and Moto3™ classes,
the title was won at the very last Grand Prix in Valencia, and
the tension was sustained until the very end of each race.
The year 2013 will be remembered as a very special benchmark.
After two world titles (one in the 125cc class GP and one in
Moto2™), Spanish rider Marc Marquez moved up to MotoGP
at the end of 2012 after his Moto2 title, and was immediately
at ease on the powerful RC213V Honda. We enjoyed great
fights between Marquez, his team mate Dani Pedrosa and
Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo throughout the season. At Valencia
Marc Marquez became the youngest ever MotoGP/500cc
GP World Champion (beating the record established by
Freddie Spencer in 1983) and became the second rookie
in Grand Prix history to be World Champion in his first year
in the class. The first one was Kenny Roberts in 1978…
As in recent years, I am convinced that we shall see really fantastic
racing throughout this season in all the Grand Prix classes, with
close fights on the tracks, not only for victory but for all positions.
On behalf of the FIM, I would like to greet all the parties
involved in Road Racing Grand Prix, the promoter Dorna,
the riders, the teams, the manufacturers, the circuits and
the officials, and thank them heartily for their hard work.
And of course, all this work is done for you, the motorcycle
fan, sports fan, TV viewer - in two words: our spectators!
Wishing you a fantastic season,
Vito Ippolito
FIM President

The storied career of the nine-time World Champion took another
twist in 2013 as he returned to the Yamaha Factory Racing, where he
was so successful in the past. After two seasons unable to turn the
Ducati into a consistent front-runner, ‘The Doctor’ rekindled the spark
with a famous win at Assen and further podiums last year and in 2014
he aims for more victories.

Después de un exitoso año con el Tech3, equipo satélite de
Yamaha, en 2012, “Dovi” se unió al equipo Ducati para disputar la
temporada 2013 y continúa este año con la fábrica italiana, ahora
junto al recién incorporado Cal Crutchlow. Dovizioso, Campeón del
Mundo de 125cc de 2004, es uno de los pilotos más regulares de
MotoGP™ y su misión es conseguir que Ducati vuelva a estar de nuevo
en la posiciones punteras, tal y como hizo en Texas.
After a successful year with the satellite Yamaha Tech3 team
in 2012, ‘Dovi’ joined the Ducati team for the 2013 season and
continues with the Italian factory this year, alongside incoming Cal
Crutchlow. Dovizioso, the 2004 125 World Champion, is one of the
most consistent riders in MotoGP™ and his task is to get Ducati back
towards the front – as he began to do by finishing third in Texas.

Espargaro made his World Championship debut in 2006, riding
seven races in total, the first of which at Catalunya made him the
youngest ever points scorer in a Grand Prix with 13th place. After
four full 125 seasons he stepped up to Moto2™ in 2011 and won the
intermediate class title last year. In 2014, he rides as a MotoGP™
rookie with Monster Yamaha Tech3.

Seasoned veteran Edwards rides again with NGM Forward Racing
in 2014 after two tough campaigns spearheading the team’s CRT
project. The team has switched machinery twice in the last two
years and the ‘Texas Tornado’ aims to capitalise on a stronger FTRYamaha package before hanging up his helmet once and for all at
the end of a glittering career.

The top CRT rider for the last two years, the popular Spaniard is an
undoubted talent. Before returning to MotoGP™ in 2012, Espargaro
had taken his first career podium in Moto2™ and had impressed in
the past on a satellite Ducati, so the latest chapter of his career with
NGM Forward Racing on the new FTR-Yamaha package has sparked
plenty of interest.

Spaniard Barbera joined Avintia Racing last year after previously
struggling to adapt to Pramac Racing’s 1000cc Ducati machine. In
2013 his best results were a pair of tenth place finishes at Mugello and
Laguna Seca. This year, he is partnered by French premier class rookie
Mike di Meglio on the Avintia FTR machine.

Di Meglio steps up to the premier class in 2014 after 11 seasons
of smaller category participation. The highlight of the Frenchman’s
career to date was his 2008 125cc World title, though since 2009
he has been riding in the intermediate class, without great success.
Last year he suffered a fractured coccyx in a Brno crash which ended
his season, so he now looks to improve his fortunes in MotoGP™
alongside Hector Barbera in the Avintia Racing team.

The feisty Italian stepped up to the premier class onboard the Pramac
Racing Ducati in 2013 and was an exciting if inconsistent addition to the
field. Self-styled as ‘Maniac Joe’, the Italian was previously a title challenger
in Moto2™ and he strives for a strong second MotoGP™ campaign with the
Pramac team in 2014.

la misma moto, ahora desde el inicio de la nueva campaña.
Having campaigned mainly in the British Superbike championship
over his career, the Ulsterman made his debut in the world’s premier
motorcycle competition last season. From an extremely successful
racing family, Laverty teamed up with the PBM squad with an ART
machine. He switched to the in-house PBM bike midway through his
maiden season and continues with the frame full-time for 2014.

Broc Parkes is Australia’s sole representative on the MotoGP™
grid in 2014. The New South Wales rider, who now resides in Andorra,
previously made a single GP 125 wildcard outing at Phillip Island in
1999, but makes a full MotoGP™ debut this year. Parkes races the inhouse PBM motorcycle alongside Michael Laverty.

... an uphill Struggle for grip
This year is not proving to be the easiest for
Jorge Lorenzo. Dogged by a distinctive lack
of grip, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP™ rider
is having to push harder than ever – and has
been paying the price…
2014 marks Lorenzo’s seventh season in
the premier class of MotoGP™. A premier class
which the Mallorcan took by storm in his debut
year, impressively claiming pole position for his
first three races and finally winning the third
in Portugal. He went on to claim the title with
unbelievably consistent campaigns in 2010
and 2012 and shares a world record of the
most podium finishes in one season: 16. Only
Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner and now Marc

52
50-79_Jerez2014.indd 52

Marquez can also boast such an achievement.
However, it seems this season’s script has
not been written in favour of the 26-year-old
Palma rider who has been a Grand Prix winner on
over 50 occasions throughout his career to date.
There is one main issue: a lack of adhesion. Ever
since being obliged to run the 2014 compound
tyres at February’s second Sepang test,
former title winner Lorenzo has hit out at the
rubber (with the exception of the Phillip Island
test, although this was a tyre-specific outing
following the degradation problems encountered
at last year’s Australian Grand Prix).
“We are in a completely different world,”
Lorenzo is on record as saying. “With the new

tyres, we cannot go fast. We are risking a lot –
much more than ever. We are slow. We have tried
many things, but there is never good grip. The
tyre is stronger and harder, so it gives much less
grip in the corners and you feel worse. For me,
the tyre does not offer the same safety as last
year, so you can only try to be as fast as possible
and very close to your limit. That is the only thing
you can do. We are taking a lot of risks. I will just
try not to crash.”
Those words would come back to haunt
Lorenzo two days after they were muttered.
In the Qatar Grand Prix on 23rd March, he
uncharacteristically crashed out of the lead and
categorically destroyed his Yamaha less than one
Spain 2014
28/04/2014 11:59

lap into the new season. Desperate people do
desperate things. Curiously, on the same night
this happened, team-mate Valentino Rossi
rose from tenth on the grid to challenge Repsol
Honda Team’s Marc Marquez for the lead of
a remarkable race. The Italian astoundingly
finished just two and a half tenths of a
second behind the 21-year-old reigning World
Champion. Why such struggles for Lorenzo, then?
“It has been a long time since I crashed out
of a race,” he would admit. “Maybe the tarmac
was a little colder and I underestimated it…
and I didn’t have the same tyres as last year.
I entered the corner too quickly regarding the
condition of the tyre, which still was not up to
Jorge Lorenzo
50-79_Jerez2014.indd 53

temperature. I braked too hard and too late.
The front tyre closed. I couldn’t do anything to
avoid a crash. Anyway…it’s my fault. I made a
mistake and I am going try and improve from it.
It is very, very hard to understand how to make
the bike work with these tyres.”
Recent history has shown that one of
Bridgestone’s biggest challenges is creating
suitable material for all different manufacturers
on the grid. The Ducati Desmosedici GP14,
the Honda RC213V and the Yamaha YZR-M1,
for example, are machines which place varied
demands on the tyres and every rider pushes for
material which most suits his riding style and
race package.

Low scoring can certainly not become
common place, though. At Losail, Lorenzo
lost a full 25 points to Marquez and there was
another minor disaster as he finished only
tenth after jumping the start at Circuit of the
Americas; bearing in mind he missed out on the
2013 title by just four points, the situation is
put into real perspective.
Of course, Qatar was not a hugely different
situation and Lorenzo languished down the order
for most of the event, but perhaps one added
task this year is ensuring that desperation does
not take over. Let us not forget that Lorenzo
recovered a 43-point deficit to take the fight to
Marquez last year.

Ever since Valentino Rossi took to the
YZR-M1 back in 2004, the bike has had
a reputation for being one of the besthandling machines on the grid. It has never
been known for out-and-out speed, yet its
characteristics make it an almost constant
championship contender, with Jorge
Lorenzo pushing Marc Marquez until the
final round in 2013 with his M1.
Like the Honda, the Yamaha YZR-M1 also
has to cope with one litre of fuel less in 2014
under the new regulations. Fuel has been one
of the issues of the Yamaha over recent years,
with both Cal Crutchlow and Valentino Rossi
experiencing problems with consumption. So
the big question mark over the 2014 version
was how it would cope with this regulation
change. As it turns out – very well!

Fuel

As with any bike it is important to play to its
strengths, which is something the M1 does very
well. The engine was re-designed to cope with
less fuel, whilst retaining its crossplane crank,
inline-four design philosophy. It took a lot of
set-up work in the pre-season tests, in particular
with the electronics, to dial the bike in and get
it working how the riders want whilst not going
over its fuel limit. A leaner running engine is often
a more aggressive one, meaning that the fuel
mapping and power curves are that much more
difficult to set-up - particularly for a rider with
great sensitivity to the bike like Jorge Lorenzo.

Yamaha YZR-M1
50-79_Jerez2014.indd 55

Some will note that the top speed of the
Yamaha has often been down on the Hondas
and Ducatis, and in the opening round in Qatar
this was no different. This will save the bike
some fuel, as those final few km/h can be quite
fuel consuming as you are fighting against a
lot of air resistance at speeds over 300km/h.
Yet top speed, as we have seen, is by far not
everything, and by no means ensures you have
the fastest lap.

Corner Speed

The Yamaha YZR-M1 is a bike designed to carry
a lot of corner speed and utilize this to get a
good slingshot out onto the straight. It will
therefore tend to brake a touch earlier than the
other bikes on the grid, yet take a slightly wider
arc through the apex of the bend. This means
that out and out top speed is not as essential,
yet the braking stability and precision, as well
as good cornering is vital to getting the best
out of the M1.
For this the bike’s aluminium twin-tube
chassis has been designed with the optimum
flex to make the most out of the huge edge-grip
the Bridgestone tyres provide. Data shows that
Lorenzo leans the bike for longer and further than
almost anyone on the grid. The only real upgrade
on the 2014 bike to improve the above has come
in terms of braking stability. This is something
that was worked on with Rossi’s bike in particular,
and already paid off in his spectacular battle with
Marc Marquez in Qatar.

Transmission

For the Misano round in 2013 Yamaha brought
a major upgrade in the form of its own
seamless transmission – something Honda
has been using since 2011. This means that
whilst the shifting is still done manually by the
rider, the up-shifts are done without losing
any drive from the engine – i.e. the next gear is
already engaged before the shift occurs. Over
one lap this is said to save up to 0.1s, which
does not sound like an awful lot. However,
over race distance this can add up to 2.5s!
And races that may have been lost by a bike’s
length in the past would now be won.
The seamless transmission has also aided
the bike under acceleration out of corners.
Traditional transmissions with quick-shifters
would have had a very quick transition from
one gear to the next, but with power being
disconnected for a split-second, there was
always a slight “jerk” as the gear re-engaged.
This would not have only disrupted acceleration,
but also put more force on the rear tyre every
corner - and made it lose grip that much quicker.
It also contributes to downshifting, as the
bike’s braking stability not only relies on the bike’s
chassis, suspension and powerful carbon brakes
– it also has to cope with the forces of engine
braking combined with downshifting. Making the
downshift smoother results in the bike being less
likely to get out of shape under heaving braking.
The smoother the bike, the smoother the rider –
the faster the complete package!

A Lap of Jerez on board the Yamaha M1 ...
A popular racing staple on the World
Championship calendar, Jerez delights fans
and racers alike with its mix of fast and
slow corners set in the glorious Andalucian
countryside. The home straight sees the
Yamaha-YZR M1 up to around 280km/h in
6th gear, before braking for the first righthander taken in 2nd gear around 95km/h.
Staying in second, the M1 will reach close to
170km/h before braking hard to tackle the
only 1st gear corner on the circuit – the slow
Turn 2, which sees riders at around 75km/h.
The throttle is then opened almost
instantaneously as the M1 is flicked to
the left as it goes up a gear, accelerating
through Turn 3 to reach around 200km/h
before tapping the brakes slightly to
achieve mid-corner speed of 160km/h in
Turn 4. The gear lever is then pushed for
the seamless transmission to select 4th
and help propel the M1 to 230km/h before
a vitally important corner entry.
With Turn 5 being the corner preceding
the fast back straight, corner exit speed
is incredibly important. With the Yamaha
needing a clean arc and higher corner
speeds than most bikes to achieve good
acceleration, stability on the brakes, a
clean downshift to 3rd, and a good turn-in
are key. With Turn 5 mastered, the M1
will accelerate to around 290km/h – the

Una vuelta a Jerez / Lap of Jerez
50-79_Jerez2014.indd 57

fastest part of the track – before another
hard braking zone, known as favourite
place for overtaking.
This Turn 6 is called the Dry Sack,
which is another slow right in 2nd gear
where the Yamaha is down to about
80km/h, before the bike is flicked back to
the left as it accelerates up to 165km/h in
3rd for a fast left – immediately followed
by another fast left at around 135km/h.
After the long straight and two fast lefthanders, it’s now time for the right side
of the tyre to get a work out. Heading
into the stadium section of the track,
two rights in succession are taken in 2nd
gear, after which the M1 will propel the
rider from around 130km/h to 210km/h in
4th ready for Turn 11.
Good corner stability is called for in
the next two right-handed corners as the
bike stays in 4th for Turn 11 at 160km/h,
following which a quick blip of the throttle
and tap on the front brake sees Turn 12
taken at a staggering 175km/h. Carrying
such high speeds, the Yamaha will reach
up to 220km/h just before the final corner;
the tight left that has seen many last lap
incidents over the years. Down to 2nd gear
and 75km/h, riders will be thinking about
getting the bike upright as soon as possible
for the drag to the line.

Espargaro charms fans
on global adventure
Aleix Espargaro moved to the NGM Forward Racing
team for 2014 after impressing on CRT machines
over the last two years and he is already showing
his pace again this season on the ‘Open’ Forward
Yamaha. The affable young rider from a small
town just outside Barcelona is also a popular
character on social media and he keeps his fans
updated with regular photos and posts from his
trips around the world.
Aleix has a big fan base on Twitter, with
more than 157,000 ‘Espargarins’ following
him, whilst he has a following of 259,137
fans on Facebook and over 30,000 followers
on Instagram.
Here is a taste of his online profile and
his international jet set lifestyle:

Austin test for Suzuki
as they plan ‘Factory’ 2015 MotoGP return
Japanese factory Suzuki are set to
carry out a post-Grand Prix test at the
Circuit of the Americas as they continue
preparations for a planned return to
MotoGP™ in 2015.
Having tested alongside current
MotoGP™ teams at circuits such as
Aragon, Brno, Catalunya and Sepang in
the past 12 months, Suzuki put in further
development work at the Austin track
in April and then also tested at the new
Termas de Río Hondo track in Argentina
after the recent inaugural MotoGP.
During the Red Bull Grand Prix of
MotoGP™ World
50-79_Jerez2014.indd 61

the Americas, Suzuki MotoGP Test Team
Manager Davide Brivio told motogp.com
that upgrades to their in-house developed
electronics software are a key focus for the
test as they adapt to the latest standard
championship ECU hardware.
Brivio stated, “Electronics in one of the
main items we will work on because we
started in Sepang with the Magneti Marelli
electronics but it was not ready yet. Despite
that we decided to start the development.
So here in Austin we will have a new update,
a new release of the software, because in
the mean time we have been working on

that in Japan.”
He added, “Another target of this test is
for us to get to know this track and to collect
data for next year, because as Suzuki we have
never been here. So we need to get to know
it and try to be more ready for 2015 when we
will be here to race.”
Also asked to confirm whether Suzuki
intend to return to the premier class with
Factory or Open entry class machinery Brivio
replied, “Our plan is to be a ‘Factory’ entry so
we are developing software and we want to
use our own software next year, then for 2016
we will go to the standard software.”

sólo en una de las cuatro rondas del Campeonato. En la meta le
siguió Carlo Ubbiali, con una diferencia de sólo 4,6 segundos.
Valentino Rossi is the most successful rider at the Jerez Grand Prix. The
Italian rider, who has been a World Champion on nine occasions has won eight
Grands Prix at the circuit, six in MotoGP™, one in 250cc and one in 125cc.
His last win at the track came in the 2009 MotoGP race, when he crossed the
line 2.7s ahead of Dani Pedrosa after a 27 lap contest. Last season Rossi was
fourth in the Jerez MotoGP race.
Bradley Smith is the only Tissot Ambassador to have won a Grand Prix in
Jerez. The English rider, who is now 23 years of age, took his first Grand Prix win
in the 125cc race in 2009, beating Sergio Gadea by 13.524s. He subsequently
went on to become a 125cc race winner at Mugello (Italy) and Valencia (Spain).
In a gritty battle for second place last year, Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo
collided at the last corner of the 28-lap, 119.421km MotoGP race. Somewhat
ironically that last corner of the Jerez track has been named after former
World Champion Lorenzo. Dani Pedrosa won the race, riding at an average
speed of 158.1km/h, with Marquez finishing second and Lorenzo third.
Nicky Hayden got his last Ducati podium in Jerez. The American
Tissot Ambassador was third in the 2011 MotoGP race, behind Jorge
Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. Hayden finished less than 0.5s ahead of
fourth placed Hiroshi Aoyama, for whom that was his best ever premier
class result. This year Hayden races with a Honda bike again.
In 1991, Helmut Bradl, father of Tissot Ambassador Stefan,
won the 250cc race in Jerez by a fine margin. After 24 hectic laps
Helmut overcame World Champion Luca Cadalora by 0.451s.
Meanwhile, just 0.1s separated Jorge Martinez and Stefen Prein as
they crossed the finish line of the 125cc race in 1990. That gap was the
tenth closest ever finish in a 125cc race. In 1996 just 0.116s separated
the three 125cc podium finishers, Haruchika Aoki, Emilio Alzamora and
Noboru Ueda, in what was the tenth closest ever rostrum finish in 125cc.
In contrast, the slowest ever 125cc race was at the Grand Prix of Montjuic
Park, Barcelona, in 1951. The race winner of the 17-lap 102.561 km
contest, Guido Leoni, finished with a time of 1h 11m 21.8s and recorded
an average speed of 86.23km/h. Tragically the Italian rider was killed
a month later in a race in Italy. He ended the season fifth in the World
Championship having only competed in four rounds of the season. At the
Barcelona race, he was followed home by Carlo Ubbiali, with a 4.6s deficit.
Spain 2014
28/04/2014 12:00

Aprilia have announced their intention to return to the premier class for the 2016
season and motogp.com caught up with Albesiano Romano, Sporting Managing
Director of the Italian brand, to get some pointers on their MotoGP™ plans.
Is your company’s involvement in the
Superbike World Championship closely linked
to your MotoGP plans?
Very much so. Our ‘Open’ bike is closely
linked to the Superbike machine, so I would
say that there is a good 90% crossover.
Do you plan some wildcard appearances in
2015?
I would not rule that out. To be able to
compete at a high level in 2016, which is
our goal, we are developing a completely
new project. So, I would not rule out a few
appearances in the second half of the
2015 season.
How much has Aprilia changed in the last few
years since your participation in MotoGP and
MotoGP™ World
50-79_Jerez2014.indd 63

what has changed to entice you back to the
premier class?
Things have changed substantially
because previously this was an
independent company and now its part of a
multinational, the Piaggio Group. Today we
have the industrial and financial stability
to participate in a sport as important and
challenging as MotoGP. Also, the MotoGP
World Championship has changed a lot in
recent years and our interest in returning is
due to MotoGP indisputably being the most
prestigious showcase for us to be. We say
that without detracting from Superbikes,
which has different aspects relating to
promoting our product.

Is there any possibility of Aprilia going back
into Moto2™ and Moto3™ too?
At the moment it is not in our plans.
Is your test schedule for 2015 already in place
and if so which riders will you work with?
Currently we are supplying material to the
IodaRacing Project with their rider Danilo
Petrucci, and for us it is very important to
have a presence in MotoGP because it allows
us to participate in technical development.
We can closely follow the evolution of the
electronics and tyres for example, all of
those elements are fundamental for us.
We hope to start ‘true’ testing in MotoGP in
the spring of 2015. The riders are yet to be
confirmed, but we have plenty of options.

The new Official MotoGP™ Trivia Game 2014 gives knowledgeable MotoGP fans the chance to test their
expertise, compete against friends and win prizes along the way.
Answer questions against the clock, play to beat the qualifying
time set for each of the 2014 MotoGP™ circuits and unlock the next
challenge. Start as a Rookie Rider, graduate to Pro Rider level and then
face the ultimate battle to become a Champion Rider. Challenge your
Facebook friends and see how your performance compares.
As soon as you’ve played your first circuit, use the Facebook
login and you will be entered into a free prize draw to win an official

64

MotoGP™ World

50-79_Jerez2014.indd 64

MotoGP™ Tissot Watch. There will be plenty more prizes coming up, so
keep an eye out for them in the App.
There’s only one official MotoGP trivia app and this is it. With
thousands of multiple choice questions, it’s time to put your
MotoGP knowledge to the test! Download the Official MotoGP™
Trivia Game 2014!

The return of the Mack!
Maverick Viñales caused a surprise as he
won on only his second attempt in Moto2™
at Circuit of the Americas. The 19-year-old
is the reigning Moto3™ World Champion,
highly rated by many and now set to move up
another gear…
Many believe the jump up from Moto3™
to Moto2™ can be more difficult than
Moto2™ to MotoGP™. The power becomes
600cc instead of 250cc, the bikes are heavier
and far less nimble. Viñales was already
known as quick and consistent, but just how
much he would continue to be was another
matter all together.
Firstly, head back to Moto3™ last year.
He was the first to win two races, but failed
to claim another until he did the honours
in Valencia right at the end of the season
– in the process taking the title away from
Alex Rins at the very last corner. However,
over previous months it was Rins and Luis
Salom who had looked like the more genuine
contenders, with Viñales having classed even
himself as out of contention.
For 2014, the big news was that Viñales
was to unite with Salom as team-mates
at Pons HP 40 in the intermediate class. A

72
50-79_Jerez2014.indd 72

thrilling line-up and one surely set to excite.
Over the first two races, however, fortunes
were certainly mixed. On his Moto2™ debut
in Qatar, Viñales finished fourth from 14th
on the grid. Then came the victory in Texas,
having overhauled more experienced riders
in the class to post a series of well-timed
fastest laps in the closing stages of the race,
preventing even championship leader and
pole-sitter Tito Rabat from closing in. It was a
truly impressive display.
“An incredible race,” the teenager - who
addresses himself as ‘Mack’ - would say with
a smile, having stayed out of high drama
as several riders crashed at the first corner
of the race. “The start is always difficult in
Moto2™ because too many riders go really
crazy. I just tried to be focused, to stay calm
and to settle into my rhythm.
“We were able to achieve really good pace.
I then did three or four perfect laps and I won.
I want to say thanks to the team – this is a
result of all of that work.”
Viñales is already racking up some
unique accomplishments. In Qatar, he
became the first rider to post the fastest
lap on his debut in Moto2™ (excluding

the first category’s first race in 2010, of
course) and he has now won in only his
second intermediate tier Grand Prix –
earlier than any other Moto2™ rookie
who has gone before him. Could he go on
to challenge for the title this year? The
next few months will tell, but it just might
be possible. You certainly got the feeling
Austin wasn’t a one-off.
“If you work hard, you can win,” Viñales
adds. “Stay calm and be focused.”
Maverick Viñales
28/04/2014 12:01

From Corsi’s first full World Championship season in 2003, his steady
progression culminated with him finishing runner-up in the 125 class
in 2008. In 2010 he graduated to Moto2™ and was one of the riders
who adapted well to the new 600cc category, with one of his standout
rides coming in his home GP at Mugello where he stood on the podium
from 26th on the grid. His first campaign with Forward Racing in
2013 left him a somewhat inconsistent 11th in the final standings,
but he remains with the team for 2014 alongside compatriot Mattia
Pasini and is already impressive with steady top five race finishes.

Lüthi’s first full World Championship season in 2003 saw him take a podium
at Catalunya, but 2004 was a season marred by crashes and injuries as
he placed 25th overall. In 2005, he bounced back in phenomenal style,
winning four races and taking eight podiums to secure the 125 World
Championship title. Further injuries in 2006 affected his title defence as
he placed eighth overall, and since 2007 he has ridden in the intermediate
class of Grand Prix racing. On a Suter chassis with the Interwetten
Paddock Moto2 Team in 2011 he finished the year fifth, while in 2012 he
improved to fourth, though last year he was sixth after a nasty preseason
arm injury. He remains with the same team for 2014 and things started
off on the right foot in Qatar, where he was classified on the podium.

A product of the Red Bull MotoGP Academy initiative, Nakagami became
the youngest ever winner of the Japanese 125cc Championship in 2006
before stepping up to the world stage with the I.C. Aprilia team in 2008.
Having withdrawn from the World Championship for two years, he won the
Japanese Moto2™ title in 2011 and was drafted in by the Italtrans team at
the Japan GP as a substitute rider. The Italian set-up was hugely impressed
and offered him a full-time seat for 2012, as Nakagami aimed to repeat
his domestic success on the world stage. He remained with the squad for
2013 and after five podiums last year he looks to win races in 2014.

Kallio moved into Moto2™ from MotoGP™ in 2011 joining the Marc
VDS Racing Team and looking to recapture the form he had previously
demonstrated in the lightweight and intermediate categories. After
a difficult start in the class the Finn became more competitive
towards the end of that year and finished second in the final race of
the season in Valencia. In 2012 he had another mixed year despite
running close to the front on occasions, only managing one further
podium finish. In 2013, in his third season with the Belgian team he
began to look stronger, taking advantage of a more competitive bike
and utilising his considerable experience more effectively, winning a
first Moto2™ race at Brno. He runs with Marc VDS again this year.

After a breakdown in team relations meant he eventually missed out on
the Moto3™ title in 2012, Viñales put that right last year, with some great
rides and a highly consistent performance level throughout the season. He
missed the podium just twice last season, making 15 rostrum appearances
and winning three Grands Prix, including the season finale at Valencia. That
victory at the final round took the title chase down to the final corner of the
last race as Viñales triumphed over Alex Rins, with the pair having battled Luis
Salom all season in an awesome three-way fight. Viñales and Salom have
graduated to Moto2™ together as team-mates this year with the successful
Sito Pons-run Pons HP 40 team. Stunningly, Viñales won only his second
Grand Prix in Austin, Texas to grab the attention of the entire paddock.

Esteve ‘Tito’ Rabat joined the World Championship on a permanent basis
in 2006 when he rode 11 GPs to collect 11 points. The following season he
took a podium in China, but would have to wait a further two full seasons
before he again stepped onto the rostrum. He did so twice in 2010 for the
Blusens-STX team, and in 2011 made the step up to Moto2™ from the
125 class, remaining with the same team. The Spaniard faced 2012 at
the controls of the Kalex Moto2™ of Pons Racing - and staying with the
team in 2013 he finally achieved his first GP win in his 113th appearance at
Jerez, before winning again at Indy. He is a title candidate in 2014, having
moved to the Marc VDS Racing Team and having shown great pace in preseason testing before winning the season-opening Grand Prix in Qatar.

Alex Rins: It ain’t over till it’s over…
Less than your proverbial cigarette paper
kept Alex Rins from the 2013 Moto3™ world
title. The crown could not have come closer:
separated only by the last corner of the last
race of the season. Third time around, he’s
more determined than ever…
It’s Sunday 10th November 2013. A
gloriously bright afternoon at the Ricardo
Tormo circuit on the outskirts of Valencia.
Long-time championship leader Luis Salom
has uncharacteristically slid out of contention
in the Moto3™ championship finale. It’s come
down to the last metres of tarmac at the very
end of a nail-biting season. Rins takes the
lead, only to run out wide and relinquish both
the race and the title to Maverick Viñales. A
Hollywood-like moment that could not have
been scripted and one that in the long-term
could serve Alex Rins well as a life experience.
“In the end it was Maverick who won this
World Championship,” Rins would have to
state. “I’m not disappointed because I did a
fantastic race and a fantastic year. I am very
happy to have fought for the championship
until the last corner of the last race.”
Rins headed into 2014 as one of
the championship favourites, if not the
favourite, but was quick to point out the likely
contenders determined to beat him.
“I think Danny Kent, Marquez and Jack
Miller will all be pushing very hard,” he
continues, with reference to team-mate Alex

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Marquez (younger brother of Marc) by
surname only confirming the healthy
rivalry between the two. “It will be very hard
for me, but I am continuing with this team
because I am sure it is the best.”
However, doubt came in the form of a
brand-new motorcycle. Emilio Alzamora’s
Estrella Galicia 0,0 team has now switched
from all-conquering KTM motorcycles to the
new Moto3™ Honda. A new venture. A risk,
perhaps, and an unnecessary one in the eyes
of some. It appears to have paid off, though.
They may have lacked pace early on in preseason testing, but by the time crunch point
came Rins and team-mate Alex Marquez were
first and second on the grid in Qatar.
“We have improved a lot,” claims Rins,
who like so many riders may appear wary and
unassuming on the surface but prefers to keep
himself to himself. “I feel better with this bike
now. All across the pre-season, Honda and my
team have worked very hard to produce a quick
and competitive bike. I think we are now on
the same level as KTM. Maybe we still need to
improve on single lap pace, though.”
Then came Sunday’s night race at Losail.
It is true that Rins was paying the price
for a poor start, but the KTM of Jack Miller
would beat everybody to the finish line. That
said, Rins still had plenty of reasons to be
optimistic as he finished fifth - meaning
that three of the top five bikes carried a

Honda badge. Furthermore, the 18-year-old
knows more than most the importance of
consistency and high scoring; for every race
in which he finished last year, he was on the
podium all times bar one. And then there
would prove to be two very costly crashes at
Motegi and Jerez.
Fast-forward to 2014 and the competition
is as stiff as ever. In Texas, fourth place was the
most Rins had to shout about but at least this
was more than his team-mate, with Marquez
crashing out in front of him at the penultimate
corner. 13 points for fourth place, with Rins
having achieved an average of just over 18 per
race in 2013. Another reminder that constant
points-scoring is vital, not least when you bear
in mind that last year’s Jerez race ended in the
gravel trap due to an unforced error.
You’ve got to be in it to win it, as they say.
Nobody knows that better than Alex Rins.
Alex Rins
28/04/2014 11:35

Italian racer Romano Fenati first lined up on the Moto3™ World
Championship grid in 2012 with Team Italia FMI with an FTR Honda
and made an instant impact as he came second in Qatar and
subsequently broke the record books by winning the second race in
Jerez. He narrowly missed out on the Rookie of the Year award, yet
still put in an impressive season which heaped much expectation on
him for 2013. He did not quite deliver the goods last year, but winter
testing saw him looking more competitive again for 2014 as one
of the two riders in the exciting new SKY Racing Team By VR46.

Educated in the MotoGP™ Academy, Efren Vazquez is one of the
older heads in the Moto3™ category, having arrived relatively late
to the World Championship in 2007. After a season in 250s he opted
to move to the 125 class for 2008 and his progress in the category
was rapid. For 2103 he moved to the Mahindra Racing outfit in
Moto3™, which had big intentions for the year. Whilst Vazquez
brought home some promising results for the team, he decided to
move to Saxoprint-RTG for 2014 to contest the championship on
a Honda. Early podiums have seen the Spaniard’s stock rise.

Miller moved into road racing in 2008, and made his debut in Tasmania
in 2009 at 14, which led to him competing in the 125cc Australian
Championship in 2009. He won the MRRDA 125cc series and subsequently
moved to Europe, where he competed part-time in the 125cc World
Championship and full-time in the 125cc IDM German Championship
which he won. Miller rode a Caretta Technology Honda NSF250R in his first
assault on the first Moto3™ World Championship in 2012 and switched
to Racing Team Germany for 2013 again on a Honda. For this season he
has moved to the successful Red Bull KTM Ajo squad, winning the first two
Grands Prix in confident fashion to lead the championship for the first time.

Italian youngster Niccolo Antonelli followed his father into racing,
and his long-term pursuit is the same as his team manager
Fausto Gresini’s; to work his way through the ranks of the World
Championship to the premier MotoGP™ class. Antonelli first flew
the Gresini flag in Grand Prix racing in 2012 aboard an FTR Honda
in the Moto3™ class, showing some promise along the way, which
prompted the youngster to stay with the team for 2013. Ahead of the
2014 campaign Antonelli started to show some real pace on his KTM
machine and he could be one to watch as the season unfolds.

Alex Rins has marked himself out as a serious prospect for success in the
future. The 2011 Spanish national championship winner took pole position at
just his second Moto3™ race, at Jerez in 2012, and backed it up with a third
place finish in France. He only finished outside the top ten on four occasions
that year, and that kind of consistency has proved to be the stuff of champions.
Regular podiums and his first career win at Austin, followed by victories at
Sachsenring, Indianapolis, Misano, Aragon and Phillip Island took him to the
brink of the title in 2013. He rides with the same Estrella Galicia 0’0 Team
this season, though now on a Honda machine, looking to stay at the front.

Oliveira battled Maverick Viñales to the final race of the season for
the 2010 Spanish national title, eventually finishing runner-up by
just two points prior to his World Championship bow in 2011. After a
turbulent 2011, Oliveira returned full time in 2012 with the Estrella
Galicia 0,0 team on board a Suter Honda, where he scored two podiums
on his way to eighth in the championship. He impressed with the
Mahindra last year, having taken the Indian factory’s first podium
in Moto3™, and having been close to the rostrum on several other
occasions. He remains with Mahindra for the 2014 campaign.

“Siempre quiero ser el primero, y si no puedo,
al menos estar lo más cerca posible. Este año me
gustaría estar entre los primeros, pero también
aprender, crecer y disfrutar de la Red Bull Rookies
Cup y de cada paso que doy. “
“I always want to be first, and if I cannot, as
close up front as possible. This year I would like
to get as much up front as possible, but also learn,
grow, and enjoy the Red Bull Rookies Cup and every
step forward I make.”

“Sé que este año en la Red Bull Rookies Cup es sólo un comienzo para
mí, tengo que aprender al máximo en la Copa, aprender a ser paciente en
las carreras, a no tener miedo y a luchar cuando se pueda ganar. Tengo un
largo camino por recorrer, pero quiero aprender, progresar paso a paso y
luego ir a ganar campeonatos”.
“I know that this year in the Red Bull Rookies Cup is just a beginning
for me, I have to learn the maximum, to be patient in races, learn to be
fearless - and fight when you can to win. I have a long way to go but I want
to learn, to progress step by step and then go on to win championships.”

The Rookies
are back in action!
Jerez sees the much-awaited return of
the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. Last year,
sensational Karel Hanika swept all before him
in a season of fantastic racing to score the
most points en route to a title in Rookies Cup
history. 24 young talents are now eager to
take the vacant crown and hope to follow him
to the World Championship.
Last year saw a goodbye to the twostroke KTM RC 125 machines as the new
four-stroke Moto3™ KTM RC 250 R was
brought into the Rookies Cup. For 2014, 11
of the riders remain in the series and may be
more accustomed to the bike, but over half
of the grid are set for a debut in front of the
mammoth Jerez crowd.
Naturally, Spanish riders will be egged
on by partisan supporters who flock annually
into the circuit, but plenty are looking to steal
their thunder. Turkey’s Toprak Razgatlıoglu
was a regular front-runner last season but
was so often hit by bad luck. He now aims
for a title challenge from the off, as will the

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41
likes of Italy’s Stefano Manzi and Spain’s
Jorge Martin as they all aim to follow in the
footsteps of former Rookies Cup Champions
such as Johann Zarco, Jakub Kornfeil,
Lorenzo Baldassarri and the aforementioned
Hanika: all now World Championship riders.
That is not to mention Corentin
Perolari, who won the opening race of this
year’s national Moto3™ championship
in France, or Makar Yurchenko who
represents MotoGP™ rider Aleix
Espargaro’s team in the Spanish national
championship. There are family ties with
the World Championship, as well. Brad
Binder’s brother Darryn is now poised to
start his second Rookies Cup season, as
Jules Danilo’s sibling Simon finally returns
to the Rookies Cup after missing 2013
through injury.
It promises to be another thrilling season,
with 14 rounds across Europe reaching their
climax on the final weekend of September. It
all starts here in Jerez this weekend!